"Wes" wrote in message
...
"Bob La Londe" wrote:

Not sure if its even an issue, but I was wondering if I cut a 1" precision
linear shaft with something like a chop saw if I would distort and ruin a
portion of it from the heat. If in doubt use the hacksaw I suppose.

I need two 20" pieces, but the best price I found was for a single 63"
piece. I suppose I could also just cut them a little bit long and let
them
stick out on the open end.



Sounds like Thompson rail. The ends will be held in mounts so nothing to
worry about.

You can abrasive cut and not have HAZ, we cross section product every day
to test case
hardness profile parts we make.

We use a abrasive saw that is flooded with coolant and a light touch on
the saw. Then
after polishing slowly we check it with a micro indentor.

Abrasive with coolant? I have seen plenty of cold cut saws with carbide or
other tips. Tounrey blades are one that come to mind that work well at slow
speeds with coolant, but didn't know there were abrasive blades that were
designed to run with coolant. I wish I had a slow speed coolant bath saw,
but I can't justify the cost just yet.

I am stuck with a variety of abrasive tools or a hack saw. Usually for
medium size stuff I use the chop saw. I use a cheap circular saw on stuff
that won't fit in the chop saw, and I use a hand piece with fiber disc
mandrel for smaller stuff. Its very rare that I have to use a torch
anymore, but once in a while I just can't get an abrasive saw in where I
need it. My hacksaw gets used even less than the torch.

Back to my application, I have about decided to do the water soaked rag
trick, and cut them an inch long leaving the HAZ on the outboard side of the
clamps. That way I'll also be able to grind a tiny little chamfer on the
end making transfering the slide onto them easier. If my rod ever gets
here.